Thunderbirds drop final home game of season

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Twin City Thunderbirds dropped a 4-3 home contest to the Blue Ridge Bobcats on Fan Appreciation Night Friday at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena. Roman Kraemer, Connor Craig, and Jan Salak each netted a goal for Twin City in the loss. Friday’s game was the final home game of the 2025-2026 season.

Roman Kraemer gave Twin City a one-goal lead with less than seven minutes to play during Friday’s opening period. Kraemer’s goal was netted unassisted, and was his twenty-seventh of the season. Matt Garcia and Zach White each collected an assist on the scoring play. Danny Martin tied the game with an even strength scoring play at 17:05 of the 1^st period. Carson Gallagher and Denver Craig each recorded an assist on the scoring play. The Thunderbirds outshot the Bobcats by an 18-14 margin during the 1^st period, and the 2^nd period began in a 1-1 tie.

Jordan Rosenbaum gave the Bobcats a 2-1 lead with a goal at 3:33 of the middle period. Rosenbaum’s scoring play was assisted by Carson Gallagher and Denver Craig. The Thunderbirds’ Connor Craig tied the game with his sixth goal of the season at 6:13 of the 2^nd period. Craig’s goal was netted even strength, and was assisted by Jan Salak and Jiri Pestuka. Jan Salak gave Twin City a 3-2 advantage in the rivalry battle with his twentieth goal of the season at 8:03 of the 2^nd period. Team Captain Jon Buttitta recorded an assist on the scoring play. The final goal of Friday’s middle period was scored by Blue Ridge’s Denver Craig at 11:35 of the period. Demid Podrezov collected an assist on the scoring play. Twin City was outshot by a 12-11 margin during Friday’s 2^nd period, and the 3^rd period began in a 3-3 tie.

Carson Gallagher scored the only goal of Friday’s 3^rd period to give the Bobcats a 4-3 victory over the Thunderbirds. Gallagher’s goal was netted at 13:08 of the final period, and was scored even strength. Danny Martin collected an assist on the scoring play. Twin City was outshot by a 20-14 margin during the 3^rd period, and a 50-43 overall margin during the contest. The Thunderbirds fell to 25-29-1 on the 2025-2026 regular season in Friday’s one-goal home loss.

Boris Babik made 46 saves on 50 shots and recorded the loss in goal for Twin City. Gregory Hussey collected the win in net for Blue Ridge in a 40-save-on-43-shot effort.

Jon Buttitta was named the 1^st Star of Friday night’s game, with teammate Jan Salak collecting 2^nd Star honors. Blue Ridge’s Denver Craig was named the 3^rd Star of the game. Friday’s final home game of the season was played in front of a crowd of 2,450 at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena.

Twin City will return to action tomorrow night in a road game against the Blue Ridge Bobcats at Hitachi Energy Arena. The game will be the Thunderbirds’ fifty-sixth, and final game of the 2025-2026 season. Tomorrow night’s game is scheduled to begin at 7:30pm ET, and will be streamed live on YouTube, Facebook, and WTOB Radio.

The Thunderbirds are now accepting season ticket renewals for the 2026–2027 season, giving fans the opportunity to lock in current pricing before rates increase on May 1st. Season ticket holders can take advantage of significant savings by renewing before the April 30th deadline, with full-season packages starting as low as $315 in the White Zone and premium seating options available across Gold, Red, and Blue zones. Half-season plans are also available, offering flexible and affordable ways to stay connected to all the action at the arena. Renewing early not only guarantees your seat location, but also ensures you receive the best available pricing ahead of the upcoming increase. A 20% deposit is required to secure your seats for next season, making it easy to reserve your spot while planning ahead. Contact Vice President of Business Operations Joe Cangelosi at jcangelosi@tcbirds.com to renew or for more information.